“How complicated can it be?” Kal asked. “You either have feelings for her or you don’t. Do you?”
Mano swallowed hard. “Yes.”
“Are you in love with her?”
He hadn’t been certain then, but since Paige left, he’d been miserable. Heartsick. It felt just like when Jenna left. Only worse because then he was a child losing a sweetheart and now he was a grown man losing the woman he loved. “Yes.”
He could hear Kal sigh and shift in his seat. “Man. This woman really got to you. I didn’t think I’d see the day. Tell me what’s so complicated about it. It sounds pretty straightforward to me.”
This was the part of the story, Mano knew, that would change everything. “Paige is three months pregnant with another man’s child.”
“What?” Kal nearly shouted, then leaned in closer and whispered it again. He’d likely drawn looks from the family.
“You heard me. It’s not as simple as I love her and we can start a life and everything is hunky-dory. There’s things she has to deal with back at home, like the baby’s father. He called her the other day and wanted to talk. I can’t get in the way of her reconciling with the baby’s father. And even if they didn’t, she can’t just move to Hawaii if he wants any kind of visitation. She also would be moving over two thousand miles away from her family and any support system she might need to raise her baby.”
“That’s true. But what you don’t know is if she loves you. If she does, none of those other things matter. You didn’t tell her. For all she knew this was just a promise of another week-long fling, not a lifetime commitment. And a pregnant woman in her position isn’t messing around. If she does love you, she doesn’t just want another week of romance. She wants your love in return and she wants you to love her baby as your own.”
That was the other issue he wasn’t quite sure how to address. Paige had been so adamant about not staying, he hadn’t really thought their future through. Was he ready for fatherhood? In one week, he’d gone from being a confirmed bachelor to a man in love. Could he make the leap to family man and raise Paige’s baby as his own child?
“Could you do that? Raise another man’s child?” Mano asked his brother.
Kal sat thoughtfully for a minute. “It is just the same as dating a single mother with older children. If I loved the mother, I’d love the child. I don’t think it would be hard since you would be there through most of the pregnancy. You’d be there when she delivered, and you’d get to hold the child in your arms. That’s powerful stuff. I think in that moment, it doesn’t really matter who the biological father is anymore. And besides, you’re blind.”
Mano winced, following his brother’s logic until the end. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, I would think it would be easier for you to ignore that it isn’t your biological child. If the kid is born with red hair and freckles, that’s a physical reminder that you wouldn’t have to deal with. If you and Paige had children together, there wouldn’t be anything to physically distinguish the child that is yours from the child that isn’t, at least not to you. This is one instance in which being blind is perfect.”
“Being blind is never perfect,” Mano grumbled.
“You know what I mean, Mano. If you love this woman and you want to be with her, you have to tell her.”
Mano hadn’t expected this kind of guidance from his brother. Kal was as stubborn a bachelor as he was, although his reasoning was different. To hear his brother encourage him to throw caution to the wind and chase after Paige and her baby was a revelation.
“Do you really think I could? What would she say? What if she says no?”
“You absolutely could. I don’t know Paige, and I can’t guess how she feels about you, but it sounds like something serious happened this week. She might be scared of taking the leap the same way you are. Making a big gesture could make all the difference.”
“But if it doesn’t?” Mano pressed.
“If it doesn’t, then you did all you could. You come home content in knowing that you aren’t the first man to fall in love with a woman that didn’t love you back. Then you move forward with your life. Simple as that.”
It didn’t seem simple. None of it was simple. He hadn’t left the islands since before his accident. Getting on a plane with Hoku, traveling to San Diego, tracking down Paige and confessing his love was anything but simple.
“Why would she want to love me, Kal? Even if I love her and her baby, she’s still inheriting a broken man. I’m never going to have my sight back. Does she want to raise a family with a man that can’t contribute one hundred percent?”
“You know what?” Kal snapped. “You’re full of it.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’ve been blind for over a decade. You run the Mau Loa like a corporate shark. You charm the ladies, you take care of yourself and Hoku. Yeah, things would be easier if you could see, but you’ve learned how to live your life without your vision. You’ll learn how to be a lover, a husband and a father without your vision, too. You just have to want to do it. You’re only a burden on yourself because you allow it.”
A roar of voices came from Mano’s right. He turned his head to listen and was pretty certain the pig was up and ready. There was a commotion to follow as food was taken out to the long tables on the lawn.
“It’s time to eat,” Kal said.
“I know.” His hand gripped Hoku’s lead. Part of him wanted to act on Kal’s suggestions before he could change his mind. He could walk out the door right now and get a cab to the airport. He could be in San Diego tonight.
Then he heard his family start to sing to his grandmother. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. Kal was right. He would go to Paige, but he wouldn’t rush things. He’d enjoy the day with his grandmother, make his plans and ensure that when he touched Paige again, he’d never ever have to let her go.